The European Commission has opened a wide-ranging public consultation on the future of Europol, the EU’s law enforcement cooperation agency, as part of a review that could reshape Europe’s internal security architecture. Published on 23 October 2025 and open until 15 January 2026, the consultation seeks feedback from across the EU and beyond, including national authorities, civil society, academia, and the general public, on how to strengthen Europol’s role in combating serious crime, terrorism, and digital threats.
The initiative, led by the Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, forms part of the Commission’s broader European Internal Security Strategy 2025, which responds to the growing convergence of hybrid threats, organised crime, and terrorism. The review aims to evaluate the effectiveness, efficiency, and EU added value of the current regulation, while gathering both quantitative and qualitative evidence to identify gaps and needs in Europol’s operations and cooperation mechanisms.
The consultation signals a potential shift in political support for granting Europol more operational powers, positioning the agency less as a support body and more as a proactive law enforcement actor. Commission officials, including President Ursula von der Leyen and Commissioner Magnus Brunner, have framed the overhaul as essential to equipping the EU for a future of transnational, tech-enabled security challenges. A legislative proposal is expected in mid-2026, following an evaluation and impact assessment conducted in parallel with the consultation.
Reform Context and Objectives
Recent Commission proposals outline a vision for a “revamped Europol,” which includes doubling staff numbers, reinforcing operational support to Member States, and enhancing coordination through Operational Task Forces and Joint Investigation Teams. The planned regulation could also expand Europol’s remit to include sanctions violations, sabotage, hybrid threats, and information manipulation, reflecting a blurring of lines between criminal and state-sponsored malign activity.
At the same time, the Commission emphasises stronger oversight and rights safeguards. Europol is monitored by the European Data Protection Supervisor, a Joint Parliamentary Scrutiny Group, and a Fundamental Rights Officer, yet the scope and resources of these bodies are under scrutiny as calls grow for deeper and less fragmented accountability.
Resource and Cooperation Challenges
Europol’s budget has steadily increased from €207 million in 2023 to a projected €241 million in 2025 alongside staff expansion to nearly 1,700 personnel. However, Member States remain divided over how far to extend the agency’s powers. While some back greater operational flexibility, others prefer to maintain national primacy in policing and intelligence cooperation.
The Commission has made clear that future mandate changes will depend on sustained resource commitments within the next Multiannual Financial Framework. Enhanced inter-agency cooperation, particularly within the Justice and Home Affairs network and the EMPACT platform, is also considered crucial to enhancing EU-level coordination.
Civil Liberties Concerns
The NGO and expert network European Digital Rights (EDRi) has sharply criticised the review, warning that proposed expansions risk entrenching mass surveillance and undermining fundamental rights. The network urges the Commission in its consultation response to complete an independent evaluation of the 2022 Europol reforms, initially postponed until 2027, before advancing new powers.
EDRi argues that recent regulatory changes have already widened Europol’s data-processing capabilities without adequate safeguards, enabling broad algorithmic analysis and retention of unlawfully obtained data. It calls for a comprehensive fundamental rights impact assessment, expanded oversight, and stricter limits on data sharing with third countries.
The group also questions the proposed inclusion of offences such as “hybrid threats” or “sabotage”, warning that these could criminalise protest, migration, or dissent. It argues that granting Europol executive authority beyond its treaty-defined remit risks eroding the sovereignty of Member States and the EU’s legal order.
Sources: European Commission DG Migration and Home Affairs, European Parliamentary Research Service, European Digital Rights
